<?

include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/portals/config.php');

include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/portals/header.inc.php');

?> 
<style>
#faq tt {
	background-color:#eeeeee;
	padding:2px;
	white-space:nowrap;
}
#faq .intro a {
	white-space:nowrap;
}
#faq p {
	padding-left:20px;
}
#faq ul, #faq ol {
	padding-left:40px;
}
div#faq {
	margin-bottom:400px
}
</style>


<div id="faq">
<h2>FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions <sup><a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/usermsg.php?to=3">Ask a question</a></sup></h2> 


<p class="intro">Questions on this page: <br/>&middot; 
<a href="#what"><b>What</b> is a Geograph Portal?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#cani"><b>Can I</b> create a Portal?</a>  &middot;  
<a href="#domain">I'm creating a Portal, what should I use as the <b>'Domain'</b>?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#define">How do I <b>define what images</b> to include in my portal?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#geographical">How do I <b>geographically</b> select my images?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#examples">I don't really know a good search, can you give some <b>examples</b>?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#many">How <b>many portals</b> can I create?</a>  &middot;  
<a href="#noimages">I've created a portal but <b>no images show</b>?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#100images">There is <b>only 100 images</b> showing on the portal, surely there should be more?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#latest">The <b>latest image shown is in 2006</b>, surely there should be more?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#changed">I've changed a filter, the <b>changes don't show</b>?</a>  &middot;   
<a href="#trick">How can create a portal "Churches in Crawley"?</a>  &middot;   

</p>

<p><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFZldGd4dGZKbWtwcnhvRlFrdHZXbVE6MQ" target="_blank">Feedback Form!</a></p>


<a name="what"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">What is a Geograph Portal?</h3> 

<p>A portal simply provides a mini website for browsing images on a particular theme. The portal maker defines what exact images are shown in a portal.</p>

<p>By creating these themed portals, we hope to make browsing easier, quicker and more fun.</p>

<ul>
	<li>You can browse the <a href="http://www.geographs.org/portals/">list of available portals here</a>, but we also plan to make then findable via the Geograph search, linked from other related portals, and even available via internet search engines.</li>
</ul>


<a name="cani"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">Can I create a Portal?</h3> 

<p>Sure, just click <a href="./edit.php">Create a Portal!</a>. Just choose a page address, title, and what images you want to show.</p>

<p>By creating a portal on a subject you know well, you increase the chances that internet users will be able to find and browse images on your given topic.</p>



<a name="domain"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">I'm creating a Portal, what should I use as the 'Domain'?</h3> 
 
<p>Something short, and ideally representative of the subject of your portal. It's used to make the page address of the portal, like so <tt>http://<i>your-choice</i>.portal.geographs.org/</tt></p>


<a name="define"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">How do I define what images to include in my portal?</h3> 

<p>The easiest is to define a "<a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Word-Searching-on-Geograph">Full Text Query</a>" via keywords - which is a search as performed on the Geograph website. Images matching the search will show up in the portal.</p>

<p>In addition to the search keywords, you can specify additional images by their number - useful if the search doesn't find a small number of specific images. (in fact you can specify ID's without a query, but it will probably take more maintainance)</p>

<p>If the search includes images that don't quite fit with your portal, you can use 'stopwords' which excludes images with those words. Simurally can exclude specific images via the image ID.</p>


<a name="geographically"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">How do I geographically select my images?</h3> 

<p>For the moment its only possible via keywords (and/or specific ids), so can't say "within X km of Y", or "in Z town". But hectad, myriad and gridsquare references work as keywords.</p>

<p>Can either just enter directly, (eg <tt>NT</tt>, <tt>H32</tt> or <tt>J3546</tt>), or explicitly <tt>hectad:TQ34</tt> or <tt>gridref:SH1234</tt>. Can also add multiple, eg <tt>hectad:(SH56|SH44|SH45)</tt></p>


<p>See also <a href="#trick">How can create a portal "Churches in Crawley"?</a> for a trick on how to get a list of grid-references to use for towns/villages and might also work for cities.</p>


<a name="examples"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">I don't really know a good search, can you give some examples?</h3> 

<ul>
	<li><tt>river bridge</tt> :: shows all images with those two words (in any order)</li>
	<li><tt>river | canal | afon | stream | water-course | burn | estuary </tt> :: includes images with any of those words</li>
	<li><tt>"road bridge"</tt> :: containing those two words as a phrase</li>
	<li><tt>myriad:TQ</tt> :: any photo in <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/TQ">Myriad TQ</a></li>
	<li><tt>year:1989</tt> :: images taken in the year 1989</li>
	<li><tt>hectad:(SH56|SH44|SH45)</tt> :: Images in any of those myriads.</li>
	<li><tt>snippet_id:500</tt> :: all photos using <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/snippet/500">Shared description 500</a> (the id number is in the page address/URL)</li>
	<li><tt>user_id:100</tt> :: all images by user <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/123">http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/123</a></li>
</ul>

... then combine them ...

<ul>
	<li><tt>river -"road bridge"</tt> :: images with word river, but exclude any with phrase "road bridge"</li>
	<li><tt>church myriad:NT</tt> :: any churches in <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NT">Myriad NT</a> </li>
</ul>	

More examples: <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Word-Searching-on-Geograph">Word Searching on Geograph</a>


<a name="many"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">How many portals can I create?</h3> 

<p>Unlimited. As long as you have imagination to create new portals - go ahead.</p>


<a name="limiations"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">Are there any limitions?</h3> 

<p>By nature all portals are public*, so please keep the theme clean and family safe. The idea is to share these portals as widely as possible.</p>

<p><small>* even if choose not to list the portal publiclly, someone who knows the URL can easily access it.</small></p>


<a name="share"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">How can I found out how another portal 'works'?</h3> 

<p>If the portal maker choose to share, can click "Portal Definition" in the sidemenu to see the filters used. (Later we plan to have a 'duplicate' button, so can create a copy of a portal and refine it yourself.)</p>

<p>"View in Geograph Search" - will run a live search using Geographs main search engine - another good way to preview how its made.</p>


<hr>
<h2>Questions specific to the current 'Testing phase' of the site</h2>


<a name="future"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">What about the future?</h3> 

<p>who knows? But some of the ideas...

<ul>
	<li>Add collaboration features - so multiple users can work on a portal</li>
	<li>Annotation features - so rather than just being a simple list of images, the portal maker(s) can define text and wording to group and relate images together</li>
	<li>More findablity - make portals automatically link to related portals, make them findable in search engines etc</li>
	<li>More filters - easier and more flexible ways to define the images used (eg use an Article, discussion topic or a more advanced search result as a source of images)</li>
	<li>More browsing and searching tools - there current ones are very basic, much more to be added*</li>
</ul>

<p>* in particular the search engine on the Geograph website is/was reaching the limits of what it can do, by 'starting again' with portals we can make even more powerful and useful tools.</p>



<a name="coverage"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">Whats your Geographical coverage for iamges can use in a portal?</h3> 

<p>At the moment can only draw images from Geograph Britain and Ireland, so includes the Great Britain and surrounding islands, Eire and Isle of Man. Later we hope to add support for Geograph Germany and Geograph Channel Islands later</p>



<a name="noimages"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">I've created a portal but no images show?</h3> 

<p>Firstly you usually have to wait a few minutes after defining the filters for the images to begin populating the portal.</p>

<p>Also make sure your 'exclude' filters are not too broad and excluding all images. But see also <a href="#changed">I've changed a filter, the <b>changes don't show</b>?</a>



<a name="100images"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">There is only 100 (or 500 or 800) images showing on the portal, surely there should be more?</h3> 

<p>During the early testing phase only a small number will show up (typically between about 100-1000) even if there are more matching the portals filter.</p>

<p>also our local copy of the database only includes images below id 2009306.</p>



<a name="changed"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">I've changed a filter, the changes don't show?</h3> 

<p>Oopsee, that part of the code is not finished, so might take a while (needs manual intervention) to show. working on it!</p>



<a name="trick"></a>
<h3 class="faqheader">How can create a portal "Churches in Crawley"?</h3> 

<p>It will be easier later, but for now can use this trick. Its not perfect but it works pretty good.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Find the place (e.g. Crawley) with the <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/finder/places.php" target="_blank">Geograph Places Finder</a> <sub>opens in new window</sub></li>
	<li>Click the 'Experimental' search icon (<img src="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/img/links/20/search.png">) for the place.</li>
	<li>On the search results page click [refine search]</li>
	<li>In the "keywords" box, should be a list of Grid References (eg <tt>TQ2538|TQ2638|TQ2738|TQ2838|TQ2938|..</tt>)</li>
	<li>Copy that list to clipboard (right click in the box, "Select All", right click again, "Copy")</li>
	<li>Create your new portal, (or click 'Define Filters' on a current one)</li>
	<li>Where define the Filters, in the "Full Text Query" box, enter your search term, and add opening and closing bracket afterwards, eg <tt>church ()</tt></li>
	<li>Paste the list of grid references into the brackets eg <tt>church (TQ2538|TQ2638|TQ2738|TQ2838|TQ2938)</tt> (list shortened for the example)</li>
	<li>Submit the Changes (note that it can take at <b>least a few minutes</b> for the portal to populate with images)</li>
</ul>


<h3 class="faqheader">How can I find out more...?</h3> 

<p>On the <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/discuss/index.php?action=vthread&amp;forum=12&amp;topic=12199">Geograph Discussion forum</a>.



</div>

<?

include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/portals/footer.inc.php');
